


Raze Your Dreams

by remycapsule



Category: Aespa (Band)
Genre: Lots of Destruction, Natural Disasters, basedoffofamovie, just them becoming besties lol, mostly earthquakes, no ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28828905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remycapsule/pseuds/remycapsule
Summary: In the latest geographic studies, scientists began noticing an abnormal change in tectonic plates and warned that numerous disasters would inevitably tear nations apart. For what would be the most powerful earthquake in history, people must survive all they can. Martial artist Karina, class president Giselle, junior pilot Winter and medicine expert Ningning may seem like the perfect squad to take on this disaster together, but what happens when their personalities clash?
Kudos: 3





	1. Karina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter lol

Just like all mornings, the relentless aggression of the alarm clock was always the first thing she heard at 6AM. Groaning, she contemplated on ignoring the siren and usual wakeup time, along with the risk of being late for her morning workout. Last time dealing with her boss wasn’t the most enjoyable experience, but that was the least of her worries for now. Right before she could shift around in the bed, her phone abruptly became the new alarm, a series of messages spamming her inbox. To no one’s surprise, it was the boss...in all caps. So now, not wanting to get fired again, she sighed before getting ready for the gym. Like her usual drives there, the roads were jam packed, especially on busy mornings such as this: no one wanted to be late for work. Couldn’t be Karina. On these types of days, who wouldn’t want to just stay home and sleep all day? If the industry wanted to flourish, why not let workers rest? Karina asked this question every day, but here she was, on her way to work her ass off from morning to midnight. At this point, Karina hoped today would just be a good one. Around halfway there she got a call from her coworker and close friend, Heejin. 

She picked it up just as the traffic light turned green, hearing the girl chuckling on the other side. “What’s up?”

 _“Dude, boss is_ **_mad_ ** _mad.”_ Karina stayed unsurprised. “Wow, shocker. I’m assuming it’s crowded in the gym today?” 

_“Yeah. Is the traffic holding you up or did you ‘encounter a wild deer’ again?”_ Heejin teased, earning a scoff in return. “What the hell was I supposed to say? I couldn’t tell her I was in the middle of buying donuts.” 

_“You know she almost called that animal control department or whatever?”_

That was true. While it was nice that their boss genuinely cared about her workers’ safety, she could be really cranky. Karina slightly shuddered upon remembering how she had to deal with that for the first time. “I still snuck her favorite donut on her desk.” As their conversation continued, time was running out. “Anyways, what’s boss doing now?”

_“Taking out her frustrations on another punching bag.”_

“What do you mean ‘another’?” 

_“She kicked the other one in half.”_

Karina immediately slumped, knowing what that meant. “She’s gonna make me replace it, isn’t she…?” Heejin giggled at her misery. _“You know her.”_ Yep, this day just got worse. “Fucking great. First the traffic and now this.”

_“If it helps make you feel better, the others and I are planning a night out later today. Wanna come?”_

“Thanks, but I’m good. Not in the mood to get wasted.” She could just feel Heejin roll her eyes, _“When are you ever in the mood to be wasted? You’re the designated driver after all.”_

“That’s because Hyunjin nearly flattened some pedestrians on the curb.” Karina said. Now That was an event to remember. _“Thank god we weren’t caught on camera….”_

She chuckled before continuing. “Hey, I’m almost there so I’ll hang up now.” 

_“Alright. See ya.”_

As Karina pulled up into the parking lot, she stayed in her car for a little while, nervous to go inside. Despite looking calm, absolute hell was waiting behind those doors. Karina just continued hoping she’ll still keep her job after today. In her dreams, maybe. Taking deep breaths, Karina finally entered and wow, Heejin wasn’t lying: it was so crowded, she didn’t recognize anyone. Within ten minutes of sneaking into the locker room and hastily changing, Karina wasted no time trying to find her coworkers, while also avoiding the boss…which failed miserably. 

“Yoo Jimin!” She heard Sooyoung shout in the distance and instantly froze. “It’s about time you showed up.” 

“U-unnie…I was um, looking for you.” The woman raised an eyebrow. “Good. Because I need to speak to you.” Shortly after, Sooyoung hopped onto the boxing ring as Karina stayed still in her spot. “What are you waiting for? Get up here.” Did she…want to spar?? Not looking forward to getting yelled at, Karina followed as Sooyoung tossed her some gloves. “Since being late to work and pissing me off has been your daily routine lately, let’s make this a regular thing for the next few weeks. For every 10 minutes that you missed, we will spar here.” 

“Wait, in front of everyone??” There was no way, but Sooyoung spared her from the silence. “Yep. Why? You scared of getting your ass kicked in public?” She teased, which was enough to convince Karina, though still reluctant.

“Fine….” 

A match began once they were geared up, constantly exchanging jabs and kicks. This definitely caught the attention of coworkers and customers, who gazed in awe at their morning tussle. Even hours later into the afternoon, Karina and Sooyoung didn’t hold back despite both sweating bullets. She’d never (literally) fought her boss before, so this was kinda new. Just with extra violence and bruises thrown in the mix. When things seemed to be going in Sooyoung’s favor, Karina would catch her off guard with a roundhouse kick to the face. Surprise attacks came and went but neither would relent. However, once blood had finally made its grand appearance into the bout, the employees had to step in and call the match. Sooyoung sustained lots of bruises while Karina got a small, deep cut on her eyebrow. Luckily for them, nothing was serious enough for an emergency room visit. No one had the time to pay for medical bills. On that note, the two were now resting in the locker room after Heejin and the other coworkers made sure to take thorough care of their wounds. What a day this was.

“Is that my punishment now?” Karina frowned while lightly tapping her bandaged injury. Sooyoung simply kept her eyes closed and answered. “It helps us blow off some steam. Also gives me a free pass to beat you up.” They both chuckled as Karina agreed. “What’s been making you so late to work lately? I know that deer doesn’t block the road everyday.”

She almost rolled her eyes at the teasing. “It’s just…I don’t know. My mood really dropped one day and…I didn’t want to do anything but stay in bed 24/7. Before I knew it, I started overthinking about a lot of things, which made me even more stressed and bummed out.” Sooyoung frowned the more Karina described this troubling feeling. “It kinda came out of nowhere? I used to keep up with my daily routine: get up early, work out, eat healthy food, etc etc., but now I’m just very lazy.

“Hm…look, I may not be an expert or have a doctorate’s degree, but do you think maybe you’re going through depression right now? Only saying that because I’ve dealt with it as well.” 

“Oh, you may be on to something.” Karina felt thankful there was someone who understood her struggles. “Does it…get any better?” 

“Depression isn’t easy the first few weeks, but as long as you have people who care about you and wish the best, it’ll just feel like a phase. Although, I still recommend seeing a therapist, just in case it gets worse somehow.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see if I can make an appointment soon.” Sooyoung smiled softly and nodded. “That’s the spirit. I’m glad you were able to learn your lesson today, so prepare for next week.” 

“F-for more?” Karina nervously stuttered. 

“Mhm. And depending on what happens in the future, I won’t go too hard like today.” She smirked at her junior’s dismayed reaction before getting up and leaving. “Can I at least be paid extra then??”

“Don’t push it, Yoo Jimin.” 

Sooyoung called in the distance while shoving some clothes in her bag. Karina quietly groaned and slumped. _Just great,_ she thought. Pretty soon, many of their coworkers called it a day and went home, leaving just her, Sooyoung and Heejin in the gym. They cleaned the equipment, set items back in place, reorganized shelves, the usual. Once in a while, Heejin would playfully throw a dirty sock at Karina, which led to some wrestling until Sooyoung forced them apart. An hour later the girls decided to chill in the locker room while their boss was doing paperwork. Heejin had asked her again about the night out at some bar, which Karina took some time to consider, especially when they weren’t planning on going to the club again. She could never forget when Hyunjin and Hyejoo danced on the tables and beat the living shit out of some dudes for trying to talk to them. 

“Are you sure you still don’t wanna go?” The question in itself was tempting. “I guess…I have nothing to do at home anyways.”

“Great! The girls will be happy.” That made Karina feel slightly better for the first time today. It’d actually been weeks since the last time she actually hung out with her friends, so hopefully, this would lift the mood for once. After a while, Heejin checked the time as Karina layed down on the bench. Suddenly, lights flickered and caught their attention. At first, they both dismissed it, thinking the electricity was just being annoying…until it went out completely. 

“What the hell?” Heejin looked around, confused while using her phone’s flashlight. 

“When was the last time Sooyoung unnie paid the electrical bill?” She slightly teased. 

“Yesterday.” Karina froze. That was a red flag. Before anyone realized, the room began shaking. “Earthquake!” Immediately, they both panicked before ducking under benches. Heejin yelped when a locker tipped over, just barely missing her feet. She closed her eyes shut, hoping for this to end soon. On the other hand, Karina kept an eye out, only to hear Sooyoung seemingly crying out in pain just outside. When the violent shock finally stopped, she ushered Heejin from under the bench and headed outside. To say they were shocked was an absolute understatement. The mess in the gym was mocking them, all the hours spent cleaning this place had been futile. The earthquake wasn’t their fault though. Quickly regaining her composure, Karina told Heejin to go look around for Sooyoung, which soon led to digging through piles of equipment. It didn’t take long for her to realize they’d made a mistake of buying so many barbells. She wasn’t ready to even think about the worst possible scenario. That was when Karina saw something move under a fallen shelf before rushing towards it and moved a mat out of the way, gasping in horror. “Sooyoung unnie!”


	2. Giselle

The cafeteria was serving its special cheese pizza roll, along with milkshake and a side of brownies loved by most students. Who wouldn’t want junk food all day after cramming late nights on finals week? Soon enough, the area was bustling as many individual groups began to intermingle. The sun was merciful and didn’t glare down on campus, allowing dozens to sit outside comfortably. Announcements in schools these past few days were different than usual topics such as sports and other events. Rather, the student council mentioned minor natural disasters that had been occuring around the world lately, which did raise awareness, only for people to forget over time, today being no different. As lunch ended, students headed back to class, going home being the only thing to look forward to now. Giselle gathered some textbooks from her locker before sitting next to her best friend for the past decade, Gowon.

“Hey Aeri, what’d you get on number nine?” She asked while looking through homework. Giselle raised an eyebrow, amused. “I thought that question ‘wasn’t hard’.”

“Yeah, that was until I had to do it.” Gowon rolled her eyes at the teasing. “How did you solve this step?” After a moment of analyzing, she quickly recognized the issue. 

“Oh, here. You’re supposed to bring this over and  _ then _ follow the formula.” 

“Ugh, I knew it! I really need to start believing myself more.” Gowon shook her head while Giselle giggled. “You’re getting the hang of it without my help.” She reassured her.

“Thanks. I just don’t think I’ll be ready for the exam tomorrow.” Groaning, Gowon leaned back in her chair, contemplating. 

“No worries, we can study some notes again.”

“You mean  _ I _ will. This stuff is like elementary math for you.” Giselle waved it off. “Pft, no way. Trust me, when we get to advanced calculus, our brains will be reduced to a puddle.” 

The teacher finally walked in and began lessons for the rest of the day. First starting off with good ol’ math, to everyone’s displeasure. Though, surprisingly, there wasn’t anything else to learn, other than just reviewing with more problems to solve. They breezed through science, literature and now it was history left. While Gowon intently paid attention, Giselle didn’t bother sparing any. Instead, she scrolled through her phone to catch up with the latest news, texting friends, as well as playing games. The teacher had been too busy to even notice since he mainly focused on telling a story about some king and the era he’d once ruled, neither of which sounded interesting. While playing some zombie game, she began growing more frustrated as hordes grew and grew. However, an abrupt loud sound made her look up, only to see the teacher glaring back at her. 

“Miss Aeri, since you’re not paying attention to this lesson whatsoever, I assume you already know everything about King Sejong?” He adjusted his glasses while looking expectantly. 

“Yes, I do.” No one, besides Gowon, believed her, so the teacher chuckled. “If you’re so sure, please summarize the whole story about the king I just presented to the class.” 

Giselle almost smirked, but held back before standing up. “King Sejong, born in 1397, ruled from 1418 to 1450. His greatest contribution for this country was creating the Korean alphabet, otherwise known as Hangul. He is also credited for other inventions and reforms that further helped the nation flourish during the Joseon Era.”  _ Thanks for coming to my TedTalk, _ she thought to herself. Needless to say, the summary was very spot on, especially for one who didn’t listen to a single word the teacher said. Gowon looked away so no one would notice her silently laughing at their classmates staring in awe. 

“I-I…wow.” The teacher simply remarked. “Impressive, Miss Aeri. Please take a seat then.” She did so, then immediately resumed her attention on her phone. Suddenly, there was a message from Gowon. 

_ wonwon: as expected of class prez :pp my heart almost dropped when he called u tho _

_ You: lmaoooo he really thought he did something there _

_ wonwon: be more careful next time, i dont want u getting detention lol _

_ You: wats the deal, detention isnt gonna do anything to me  _

_ wonwon: ok and? he’s tough guy u know _

_ You: ugh tru  _

_ wonwon: exactly 👁👄👁 btw wat game were u playing? _

_ You: world war z again _

_ wonwon: aw siiick add me in a bit _

_ You: lmao alrite _

Not long after, the best friends indulged themselves into rounds of fighting endless hordes of the undead. They spent half an hour shooting, bulldozing, and surviving. While Giselle stuck with the most powerful weapons she could earn, Gowon pulled out a gargantuan, golden rocket launcher and went to town, sending numerous corpses into the air like rag dolls. Surprises like these always reminded Giselle of her friend’s wealth. The things Gowon did never failed to make her laugh. From getting an entire set of poop shaped soaps to fifteen different types of horse masks for shits and giggles. They both often pulled pranks on Gowon’s neighbors, cracking up at their priceless reactions. During the last round of their zombie game, Giselle decided to take a water break and picked up her bottle. They resumed right after, but a minute into the game, she noticed something weird…the water began vibrating. She squinted, getting a closer look and then realized. Giselle’s eyes widened in fear, frantically gripping Gowon’s shoulder. 

“Get down!” The room shook violently as bookshelves tipped over, lamps fell from the ceiling, windows cracked, and more. Everyone panicked, despite their teacher urging them to remain calm, knowing this would be over soon. But soon enough. Giselle and Gowon stayed under their desks, avoiding debris as much as possible. Lights flickered until the power shut off, though this earthquake only grew in intensity. Glass shattered, causing all of the students to scream in fear. Giselle frowned upon hearing Gowon as well, knowing the girl always stayed calm in this situation. She glanced over to see what happened, only growing pale noticing a glass shard sticking out of her bleeding ankle. Afterwards, when everything finally stopped moving, Giselle arrived at Gowon's aid without hesitation.  “Here, let me see that.” 

She hissed in pain while moving a little. “Ow…god, it hurts.” With closer examination, there were more in the room that needed treatment. 

“Come on, I’ll carry you to the nurse room.” Giselle carried her like a bride, wasting no time to rush down the hallway and towards their destination.


	3. Winter

**_Busan, 10:12 AM_ **

Captains, amateurs and student pilots alike roamed around the airbase, either checking the engines or just talking amongst each other. The workload was much busier today with engineers going back and forth to fix whatever they had to. Captains, of course, took protocols to ensure everything was in check while pilots, even those still in training, bossed around juniors. On the other hand, there were currently tours for young newcomers as mentors showed them around, differentiating between a variety of planes, their mechanisms, etc. A school bus had pulled up to the front gates, packed with dozens of middle school kids who were eager to see what the airbase was all about. The little tour started off with gazing at portraits of famous pilots from around the world while also learning about their stories. Next was the control room for communications, no need to explain more so as to not bore anyone, but the kids somehow seemed to also find that fascinating. After more about the basic history of aviation, they finally got to see the planes themselves. In the hangar, pilots helped install some parts together, refuel jets, fix helicopters, and many more. The mentor, Captain Miyeon, began concluding the tour. 

“And that, children, is what the search & rescue branch of the Air Force specializes in. We’ll always fly to the rescue when there are people in dire need of help. Our motto is, ‘leave no one behind.’ Any questions before you go exploring?” Immediately, all of them raised their hands, overwhelming her but she hastily picked one kid. “Do you have any students here?” Miyeon didn’t expect that kind of question and smiled amusedly. 

“I’m glad you asked. And as a matter of fact, I do.” Looking behind, she saw several of her juniors in the middle of helping install some new motors, until she pulled one of them aside, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. “Everyone, please meet Kim Minjeong, nicknamed Winter.”

The girl was flustered upon having all of the kids' attention on her, which made her clutch on the clipboard like her life depended on it. “U-unnie, I have to—”

“Anyway, Winter here was one of the top students during the Junior Pilot Program and ranked  _ first _ in the final exams. And now, with rigorous work and persistence, she is currently a pilot in training. I remember when Winter was so shy, she wouldn’t even look at me and always hid behind her parents.” 

“Can we not talk about that…?” Miyeon rolled her eyes playfully before continuing. “To end with this tour, I’d like everyone to know that if you work as hard as Winter did, you’ll definitely be guaranteed to walk these grounds one day and even fly an plane with me as a co-pilot!” With that being said, the kids rejoiced before spreading out, though only staying inside of course. Afterwards, Winter turned towards Miyeon. 

“What was that for??”

“What? I was just showing the middle schoolers around.” The junior shook her head. “I’m still in high school, you know. I only  _ just _ started reading the Aviators Code of Conduct manual.” Miyeon rolled her eyes once more. 

“Minjeongie, take the compliment. I’m trying to give them a great example. You’ll be in my position one day because you worked your ass off to get where you are right now.” 

“Thanks.” Winter shyly responded. “But I don’t know if I can ever fly solo without a co-pilot.”

“And that’s why you’re gonna learn! It may take small steps for now, so once you get the hang of it, you’ll be a true pilot in no time.” 

“Yeah…” she momentarily pondered on, “you’re right. I just get nervous sometimes.” Miyeon simply shrugged. “Eh, for me, it’s like driving a car but in the air. It’ll definitely get easier the more you’re used to it.” Winter nodded and listened intently, though unsure about the ‘car’ part. “Oh, one more very important thing:  _ always _ ask someone if they have motion sickness before getting on the plane. You never know what people eat until you have to find out in the worst way possible.” Miyeon visibly shivered at the horror of her first experience with…yeah, no one needs to hear more.

“Yikes, definitely noted.” Winter grimaced a little, sympathizing. 

“Also, speaking of flying, the lieutenant had instructed me and the other captains to head over to the coast of Jeju to help with fixing up some new airplanes.”

“Oh, so are classes cancelled next week?” Miyeon shook her head. “You’ll be getting a substitute while I’m gone and don’t even think about sneaking off to a fast food restaurant again, kid.” 

Winter slightly deflated. “Come on, it was one time and I didn’t get to have breakfast that morning.” She continued scolding anyway. “You didn’t even get me a burger.” The younger girl chuckled. “I’m sorry I didn’t have enough money for two, nor knew you wanted one.” 

“Welp, since we’re off in about half an hour or so, why don’t we and the crew go get some?” Winter perked immediately and smiled. “Really?? Are you going to—”

“No I’m not paying for you all.” 

“Worth a shot.” They both laughed as Miyeon took off her pilot hat and put it on Winter’s head, surprising her. 

“Huh, for a smallie, the hat fits you perfectly.” Winter lightly scoffed at the joke. “Ha ha, why are you making me wear it?” 

“Just to see what it’ll look like when I hand you your own pilot hat, like how the lieutenant gave mine. Looks great on you.” She smiled proudly.

“Geez, you really remind me of my mom.” 

“You know what, I’ll take that as a compliment.” 

Miyeon wrapped her arms around Winter’s shoulder again as they walked back to their crew still busy installing new motors for their plane. For the last hour, everyone continued minding their businesses and did whatever to help around in the hangar. Throughout this, Miyeon would bother her juniors for funnsies, especially Winter, who'd basically got used to it, but would still get back at her. Pretty soon, several aircrafts were new and improved, ready to take off in no time. Meanwhile, one of Miyeon’s juniors was watching the news on his phone when the news anchor began reporting of an unusual activity at the earth’s core, meaning tectonic plates were splitting at a faster rate than normal. Eventually, the large TV in the area began broadcasting live for all to see as a reporter stood with a geologist. He started predicting that earthquakes were bound to happen soon. And unfortunately…he was right. No one realized how soon, Miyeon saw it first, the tools on the table slightly rattling immediately set alarms in her head as she yelled. 

“Everybody, get down!!” Before Winter could even react, she felt Miyeon’s arm tightly around her waist as she guided her and another student pilot into cover under large tables, enough for several more of their crew. Afterwards, Miyeon hastily rushed to get everyone else under some tables, then waited for the earthquake to subside. It was rather more violent than they expected. Winter yelped in fear when the hangar began falling apart, lights losing power and the ground cracking. Things almost took a turn for the worst when one of the planes tipped over a little because of the cracks. Winter practically panicked seeing all kinds of things happening at once, gripping on Miyeon's arm for life. All this shaking only made her feel worse especially. Luckily, it stopped before anyone regained their composure. As the captains ushered everyone out from the table, some understandably hesitated. The area changed almost in a split second, even though the earthquake felt like minutes. Pilots began showing citizens the exit from the area before checking in their aircrafts, thankfully, none sustaining serious damage. As Miyeon comforted her crew, her phone started buzzing with a call from the lieutenant.

“Lieutenant, I'm here. The earthquake was rough, but we're all ok.”

_ “Thank god, I felt it all the way in Seoul. Some buildings have fallen apart and several injured civilians.” _ Miyeon frowned, wondering just how bad this situation really was. And if things were going to get worse. “Are you and the others doing alright?”

_ “We're fine, but people here aren't. I'm going to need all the medic crew to be dispatched, effective now. Get all of the supplies you find, those geographers are predicting more earthquakes to arrive soon, so we'll need to be quick.” _

Miyeon stood still for a moment, placing a hand over her forehead and took a much needed deep breath. “Copy that, lieutenant.” She turned off her phone, then turned around to her crew, who'd heard everything. Winter spoke up.

“I-is this a mission?” 

The Captain nodded. “Gear up, everyone. We're flying to Seoul.”


	4. Ningning

While gardening felt like a simple breeze, growing crops was no walk in the field. Weather played a large role, whether it was heavy rain watering their flowers too much, or the snow halting future cultivation. Although there had been alternative ways to counter these difficulties, nature would sometimes find its own way around the loop. However, with years of experience, families in the countryside grew accustomed to the ever-changing mood of nature. Even though there were cons to living far away from cities, the pros certainly outweigh all of them. The peace and quiet, being around animals, especially ones that didn’t pester you, and not having to worry about crowded streets. Aside from that, the family’s crop selling business was doing rather well, even better with all the space they had in their garden. Ningning helped her grandparents plant new seeds, then assisted with feeding livestock. The cows were not as noisy as they were the previous morning, which gave Ningning a grumpy wake up call. Her father took care of the chickens, checking to see if they laid any eggs.  _ What a nice start to the day. _ She thought to herself while watering plants. Although doing these types of chores were fun, Ningning looked forward to learning about medicine and herbs from her mother, a doctor. 

“Breakfast is ready!” She immediately set down on her basket on the dirt before racing inside, being greeted with the delicious sight of rice noodles, dim sun and steamy dumplings. Of course, they never forgot her favorite fruits for dessert: watermelons and strawberries. When everyone was finally at the table, she wasted no time to dig in. 

The family could form a conversation regarding practically anything. From gossiping about their relatives back in China to arguing over the littlest things. Ningning felt she’d never get bored hearing her parents jokingly bicker about toilet paper, nearly spitting out her water because of how funny it was to hear.

“For the last time, it goes under, everyone knows that!” Her mother said, which was quickly refuted. 

“But over helps more, that’s why we put the toilet paper in front.” 

“That’s like saying wiping back to front is better than front to back.” Ningning quietly giggled as her father looked at her mother like she had two heads. 

“No it’s not!”

The grandpa rolled his eyes. “Are you two going to finish your cold breakfast or what?” He shook his head, feeling rather annoyed they always kept up with this childish banter since the day they married. “‘I’m surprised you both are still together.” 

Ningning’s grandma chuckled.  “Weren’t we like that on our first date, honey?” 

“That was only fifty years ago. We haven't argued since.” He excused, but she sighed, disagreeing.

“Did you forget last night where you wanted to sleep on one side of the bed? Because I certainly didn’t.”

“That was for my aching back.” The grandma grunted. “And when are you going to get that checked? You walk like a crooked bear.”

Oh, how the tables turned. Shortly after, they began bickering themselves as everyone else just sat there, momentarily staring before the rest of their breakfast. In no time, Ningning and her mother reentered the garden to continue planting. 

“So, kiddo, how has school been for you lately?” The woman asked to start a conversation. 

“Nothing much. Just preparing for finals now.” She nodded. 

“I see, you’re holding up well?” 

“Yeah.” Ningning replied, plucking out ginger from the dirt. 

“That’s good. I’m surprised this country has a decent school out here in the middle of nowhere.” They both laughed at the joke. 

“I thought so too at first, but now it feels like home.”

“How many tests do you need to take?” She stopped for a bit, thinking. 

“According to my teachers, I’m assuming there will be four.”  The mother slightly gasped, knowing Ningning mostly took advanced classes at the moment.  “Sounds tougher than an ironwood tree.” 

“I’m not too worried about the tests, we’re preparing a lot for it.” 

“Well whatever you do, make sure your brain doesn’t become like a rotten egg.”

“Mom, that’s not possible.” Ningning argued. 

“You never know! Anything is possible.”

The girl continued with her garden chores as they both continued discussing unique herbs and flowers from around the world. This always helped Ningning prepare for her science exams. Her mother continued quizzing her about certains plants and how they helped the human body. She answered every question correctly, making the woman proud. They spent the next hour just enjoying nature, taking a break from gardening so much. Ningning’s mother was teaching her how to create herbal medicine, one of many survival skills in case she ever needed it one day. The woman temporarily left the cabin, leaving her to finish mixing the herbs together in the boiling pot of water. Once it appeared to be ready, she poured its content into some mugs for her and her family to drink later in the day. Sighing, Ningning went outside to gaze at the beautiful garden that’d flourished in the last eight years. Looking around, she grabbed a flowerpot and filled it up with dirt before picking out what kind of seed to grow. Ningning had lost count of the pots she’d kept in her room thus far, but there was never such a thing as ‘too much,’ even though her family always felt they were walking in a forest when knocking on her door. Before being able to make a choice, Ningning’s mother arrived back just in time to show her something. 

“Hey, have you seen the news lately?” She frowned at the woman’s concerned expression. 

“No, why? Is something wrong?” 

“Watch this.” They watched a short clip from a live streaming news network, viewed by practically the entire nation. The reporter frantically explained what was happening around him, which was hard to understand since the camera shook too much, cutting off some words. Just like that, their peace came crumbling down. Her mother first noticed it when the cows began mooing loudly out of the blue and their chickens ran out from their hens. She grabbed Ningning by the elbow so they could run into the house. However, the earthquake was so violent that it knocked them to the ground. Ningning screamed in fear, trying her best to hold onto something, despite there only being dirt. Finding her mom was pointless because every time she tried getting up, her knee got scraped by sticks. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, the ground started cracking beside her. Ningning grew pale upon seeing it stretch about another ten feet or so in the distance. She didn’t realize the earthquake finally stopped until being carried towards the house by her mother. Inside, everyone was still huddled under the dining table. Without wasting a second, her father immediately acted first.

“We’re getting out of here  _ now.” _


End file.
